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A Chacon for Eric

A Chacon for Eric

This chacon is a tribute to Eric Hanner. His gifts to the world were many and his passion for balking was great. His fine character attributes included his generosity that made him willing to help and teach others what he knew. Eric’s legacies are many and this bake commemorates them. He was a giant and this chacon is especially large to recognize his largess.

The white portion of the dough is a 6 strand zolablue SD Challah that we converted to a poolish from SD. The 4 braided ends were not tucked in to give the chacon more of chance to crack making a pretty design on the top.

The dark portion is Eric’s Favorite SD Rye – his Jewish Deli Rye was used as a monster bialy to cover the braids of the challah in the bottom of the basket. This is the largest bialy we have ever attempted and flipping it over was sight to be seen.

The 5 recipe changes I made to Eric's Favorite were minor ones. First one was to use 95 g of the challah poolish in place of yeast in Eric’s dough. We only had 2.5 g of caraway so I added a like amount of coriander. We added 1 g each of red and white rye malts to improve enzymatic action, the rye flavor and color – while Eric wasn't looking.

My apprentice used caramelized onions and the water from it and the deglazed pan instead of re-hydrating minced onions as Eric recommended. The flavor and color of caramelized onion should make this as exciting as Eric wrote about using onion and the water from it in this bread. He wanted everyone to give this option a go!

I also didn’t have any first clear flour and have never seen any, so we tried to replicate it using David Snyder’s ideas on how to do so from another thread by using some WW mixed with AP and bread flour. We don’t know what it should look like but David’s advice is usually spot on. I don’t think Eric would have minded theses changes.

Method changes included using French slap and folds for both of the breads - for about 12 minutes. Eric’s Favorite Rye was a two slaps and one fold process since the dough was so stiff and required the extra slap to stretch it out enough to fold over. Eric was the one who got me doing French slap and folds and my breads have been greatly improved as a result.

2 sets of (4) S&Fs were also performed on 30 minute intervals for the first hour of development and then the dough was rested for an hour. After shaping and putting the dough in the rice floured basket ,we let it proof for an hour before putting it into the fridge for a 15 hour retard.

This is not part of Eric’s method but we just ran out of time to bake it off and this was the best we could manage. We fired up Old Betsy to preheat at 450 F with 2 of Sylvia’s steaming pans and a 12” iron skillet with lava rocks inside like David Snyder sort of uses- while the dough warmed upon the counter for 40 minutes. This is huge lump of dough, 3.8 pounds of it and it need lots of steam.

Once the dough went in and we threw a half a cup of water on the lava rocks as we shut the door and turned the temperature down to 370 F. We decided to steam for 20 minutes instead of 10. At the 10 minute mark the cracks had barely opened on the huge loaf and more steam was needed.

At the 20 minute mark, the steam was removed and the bread continued to bake at 370 F, convection this time, for an additional 26 minutes rotating it 70 degrees every 7 minutes until it registered 190 F in the center. We left it on the stone for another 10 minutes with oven off and door ajar to crisp the skin before removing it to a cooling rack.

It browned up a dark mahogany color that was so nice I decided not to coat it with the corn starch and water mix. Even the challah portion was the same color. It blistered very well on the challah portion but not on the rye side for some reason?

It bloomed while cracking beautifully and at least looks the fitting tribute to Eric that we had hoped to achieve - at least on the outside. Well, coundn't wait 24 hours to cut into it since showed promise and smelled tantalizing. The crumb was soft nice and moist and medium open especially on the rye side.

The taste would be straight Jekyll if there wasn't a Hyde Side. One bite is a fine Jewish Rye with subtle caraway and coriander hints, the next a straight Shabot Challah and then comes a half and half combo bite.

Here are the formulas should you want to make a Chacon for Eric. I sure enjoyed doing so and we learned much from this baking experience. It was great time to reflect, day dream a little and think about the past, present and future.

The sunset was very niuce the day we baked this bread. I think someone really important knew a nice one for Eric was in order.

put it in the formula but I thought the challah looked a little peaked so .....my apprentice chucked in a couple of grams of 'Toady Tom's Toasted Tidbits' without telling me just to put some little brown specks and extra taste in it too - sure doesn't take much either. You might see some in the pictures. We love those little bits and might put them in other things than bread id given half a chance :-)

Glad you liked the bread and post. Eric deserved better, but that was the best I could bake today. If I was doing it again, as an alternate, I would do the final proof in a DO and put the challah on top so it would look more like a challah but then you would have to slash the rye part somehow and loose the cracks that the Chacon does so well.

he can call his own - where ever that might be.... it better have an oven with steam :-)

I'm always looking for ways to put design cracks and color into Chacons and this challah derivative seems to fit Eric's persona - not that I really knew what that really was - except from what I could glean from TFL.

This one came out very nice and I really like the caramelized onion and color the onion water gives to the rye - which - tastes fantastic. If you want to bake a fine deli rye that isn't much rye and easy to boot - Eric's is the one and why so many folks bake it so often. Very authentic in every way.

Quite a unique and interesting approach to Eric's favorite Rye dabrownman and entirely apropos considering Eric's own inventive streak with several of his breads. I think he would have enjoyed seeing your rendition and appreciated all the work you put into this loaf. Very nice tribute to him dabrownman! Looking forward to seeing the crumb shots when you have a chance.All the best,Franko

he would have slapped some kind of meat on it, probably some smoked pastrami to try it out. He certainly was inventive and his take with onions is spot on with this bread . His bread would taste different without the caramelized onions. The dark onion water colors the dough making it look like a darker higher percentage rye too.

I think I will do one of his pastrami's for Hanukkah and put some on one of hid Deli Rye's.

This was nice combo of light and dark breads. He brought light to TFL and now it is darker with his passing.

I'm getting out the last half of Pate you inspired to put on this bread for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the perfect fit :-)

avatar I was reminded of the Pillsbury Dough-boy for some reason. I actually thought about putting some marshmallows in the challah portion as happens around here with some raisins occasionally thinking they would be a good fit but my apprentice forgot to sneak them in there as usual.

I was glad to give Eric his due and a Chacon named for him seemed fitting.

the 3 GMA's Chacons today I was immediately struck by another way we could have done this bake - but it possibly wouldn't have been as Chaconish..... Next time we do a braid in a light color, I'm going to final proof it on top of the darker dough, in a DO so it doesn't get squished and looks like a braid after baking. But to make it a chacon, we would have to do something in the top of thw dark dark, not under the braid, to make only the bottom cracks where the braid isn't - if that makes any sense.

Here is how you do the braid. Make 6 ropes at least 12" long. Lay one down and then lay one over it but perpendicular. Lay another one down next to the first one perpendicular to the 2nd one and over it. Now make a weave by placing the 4th one parallel to the 2nd one but under the first one and over the 3rd one. It is exactly like a weave for a top crust of a pie. Once all 6 pieces are weaved, 3 going each way, you end up with 4 ends of 3 strands each that you just do a 3 strand standard braid with for all 4. Normally these would be tucked under the center weave, making a Round 6 Strand Challah.

If you search under that name you will find many videos that show how simple it is. It'sthe only 6 strand I donlt need a cheat sheet for :-) If it is not simple, my apprentice can't do it and if she can't do it there is no way I'm doing it either.

Thanks for the compliment. I will keep trying to explore the world of bread like you do and we can keep each other on our toes - if not finger tips.

video to learn the easy way to to do a 6 strand round challah braid. It looks difficult when finished but once you see it done - it is awful easy and you will never forget it like all the other braids that are too hard to remember.

I would like to try a slice just to see what you have wrought. Somehow it makes a lot of sense. And wonderful to incorporate Eric's favorite rye in that way. I am boonswoggled by the texture of the crust. And the basket imprint. I used to have a basket like that but I burned it up when I used it to build the roof of my oven. Now I wish I had another one. -Varda

Goodwill find. Normally when I do a marble I try to keep the flavors nearly the same, maybe one less rye and the other has coffee of cocoa or both in it to make it darker like the previous chacon.

I don't have any idea how the challah and rye portions ended up looking the same color on the outside or why they were such a beautiful dark shade of mahogany with hounds tooth pattern. When I took the steam out they were totally different as the picture shows. Do you know why the challah portion blistered and the rye didn't?

The two different flavors make the bread unique but I'm not sure that many purists would like the combination - but I love variety and this provide it. 3 tastes in one. I was going for a two'fer but the combo bites ar elike a lighter sort of rye.

to Eric and a testament to how much you are like him in creativity and generosity of spirit. The intricacy of the weaving and intermingling of the different portions of dough is nothing short of amazing. I can imagine him smiling at your choices and appreciating the time that you put into this work of art. That delicate crumb puts Wonder Bread to shame, no wonder they quit!

a long time to recreate Wonder Bread and just can't do it. But now I have to do it. The closest I have come so far is some Japanese sandwich bread made with YW and cream that I'm not good enough to make right - but I'm not giving up. I made some ribs last week and it is the first time that I can remember that I have not been able to have Wonder Bread with them. That is simply not done in KCMO and I'm going to blame someone who is totally innocent for it too - out of spite and I don't care :-)

I'm so glad that you liked this chacon. Your's and you sisters were equally as nice yesterday. You 3 GMA's have given me another idea for a braided chacon too. I'm still freaked out over the 9 grand kids rolls on the boule. Wicked good.... so now I don't feel bad about calling your and your sister's chacon the 3 Twisted Granny's Chacon but wish I would have gotten wicked in there somewhere - and I might :-) Glad I could almost chacon bake with you gals yesterday too. Only missed it by a day though.

Your kitchen always sounds like so much fun. I imagine you and your Apprentice grabbing ingredients behind each other's backs and tossing them into a bowl hoping the other doesn't see and remove the item. Always a wonderful loaf results from your combined efforts and this one has such a beautiful shape and the crust with the 2 colors of dough is gorgeous! I love the combination of the basket's pattern and your shaping skills....Some day I will have to get as daring with my shaping but those braids are beyond my present skills :-O

Thanks for another peek into your world of baking with your ever faithful Apprentice.

video where I learned to do the 6 strand round challah braid. Once you see how easy it is you will braid like that all the time. You only have to see it once to remember it. It is .....plain easy....but looks fancy do!

Thanks for the link. Now I get it. A video is worth a thousand words! Very similar to shaping bread in Celtic Knots. I am going to be baking a lot of challah in the coming weeks due to Hanukkah so I will have plenty of dough to practice on.

You are right - it certainly is a bamboo sieve - and I thought it was a basket! I was looking for something that could proof a 2 kilo miche and had a nice pattern.

The dark water from the caramelized onion and deglazing its frying pan is what made the colors contrast better and it sure helped on the flavor floor.

I was worried about the proofing of the dough's that had such dissimilar characteristics. Zola said her SD challah needed 5 hours to proof and Eric said his Favorite Rye needed 2 hours. That wasn't going to work too well unless my apprentice and I were both bi-polar - manic at the same time and without our meds....and bourbon.

So my calculus savvy apprentice converted zolablue's recipe over to a poolish to speed up the proofing some and the used a smaller amount of the poolish to replace the yeast in Eric's Rye hoping to slow it down a little. A nice 7 P plan if there ever was one.

Then the unintended 15 hour retard threw all the planning out the door, probably a good thing in this case and we were back to hoping for the best - just like always! I was a little shocked, that they came out so complimentary crumb wise. You would think that a Very Varda Voodoo Crumb Vamp was in the fridge working her crumb magic the whole time :-)

Had it toasted and plain, both buttered for dinner last night. Liked it so much we made French toast out of it for breakfast. Never thought I would like rye for French toast but with the challah mixed in it is really is pretty tasty. The contrast works in a slightly weird, if delicious, way if you love rye as much as we do. Maybe, if it was a stronger rye, it wouldn't work as well. It should make a nice sandwich for lunch today too.

Thanks for the compliments Mini. No way this was fitting in the mini oven!

Here is a new basket......errr...ceramic flatish bowl that has a basket weave kind of plaid shape on the bottom. I've never liked the way ciabatta looks on top , if there is one. My assistant thinks I'm nuts but I hope iciabatta will take this basket weave shape on top even though it is too wet and not likely to do so well enough to give a hoot about it.

You never know what the Chacon will deliver. I am always surprised at the result. This one was very nice. Eric deserved better but this will do for now. I'm always inspired by folks on TFL. Your 'Dead Cactus' really has my head spinning with the possibilities. Next time I'm taking a scissors to this pattern the basket makes and see what happens.

DA, I am positive Eric would live your tribute to him. You have out done yourself this time. I love your creativity and ingenuity in how you put this masterpiece together. It almost looks like a marble rye on the inside even though it is so much more.

Again, you just keep one-upping yourself. I have been traveling and have not had much time to bake or post so I will live vicariously through you posts!

Chacon for Eric. The contrast of marbling on the inside is more striking than normal because of the yellow eggy challah. You noticed I put some caramelized onion in there but this is the first time we ever thought of de-glazing the pan, soaking the caramelized onions in that and them using that onion water for the liquid in the dough. Eric was a fine baker and he gave up his secrets willingly - this onion liquid one was just one of many.

You travel safely. I noticed there is a train from NY to Philly that only takes 1 1/2 hours. That is pretty convenient. Look forward to your next post.

I was baking my multi-grain SD Challah in loaf tins and that was about it. Now there is no telling what goes in there but I can tell you why, when and how it got there. My bread world was shattered by TFL and that was a very good thing, By paying attention to what folks are doing here, you can become a much better bread baker in no time at all. Quick as a flash in fact. I am the perfect example of that. We work hard at it, but since it isn't a profession for me and I'm not locked into the tradition, or making stuff people want to buy and ...... the tradition and dogma of baking bread, we are free to try out new things now and again and just having fun instead of work.

Being retired allows more time to experiment too. Being an architect and a design / build general contractor for many decades makes me more open to new ideas, design conscious and more artful to some degree I am sure. When I make some breads, certainly not all, I want to walk into them and say wow this is a nice place to be in and wonder how they designed and built this. But most breads should be like most of my buildings and breads - good quality but utilitarian in nature, not needing or wanting any wow factor or embellishment. Not every loaf has to be a monument to itself they just need to be workman like and have some good craftsmanship.

I know you can do it. Keep at it and, in no time at all, you will be amazed at how far you have come. Just don't throw away that turkey roaster - it will likely be the best tool you will ever have when it comes to bread making. Mine sure is :-)

I'm glad you like baking bread and have put in the effort to become a good baker. Now it is just the doing and practice ...as Yoda says - try or try not makes no difference - you must do! By the way, Yoda is the greatest non person who never lived :-)

I will never stop using the roaster. Unless, of course I come into a $10,000 baker oven....let me say it again, I will never stop using the roaster.

I want to be at the point where I understand baker's % in bread baking, can make up recipes on my own, then add my creative flair. I actually cook way better than I bake, so the creative flair part should come naturally.

I have to agree with you on Yoda. How the hell can something so ugly be so cute??? Now THAT'S the power of the force.

new things I learned here at at TFL was Toady Tom's Toasted Tidbits. I pretty much put them in every kind of bread now a days. Very tasty and a fine way to perk up the flavor and healthfulness of any bread. I always wondered what I was going to do with that oat bran. No worries with the great new ideas to be found on TFL.

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